Dry-pipe valve.



W. C. BRY'C'I'.. Yom( PIP; vALvE. APPLICATIQN FILED AUG.9. i915.'

ll. ,200;306. v Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

aucun? NrrizD sTATEs ATENT onirica.

WILLIAM C. BRYCE, 0F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

DRY-PIPE VALVE.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM C..BRYoE, ofMontreal, Quebec, Dominion of Canada, having invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Dry-,Pipe Valves, do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to dry pipe valves.

In order to more clearly disclose the cong valve for sprinkler systems,which will give unobstructed flow to the incoming current, which willeffectively prevent water columning, will not employ any springs orsimilar easily broken parts in its construction, which will contain allof the operative and adjusting means of the valve within the valvelcasing so as to eifectually prevent the valves being tampered with, andin w ich the main valve may be firmly adjusted upon its seat without inany way affecting the dii'erential valve.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description and claimshereinafter.v

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 indicates the chamber forcontaining the several parts of the mechanism. It maybe made of either asingle casting or as two orv more' castings,l as most convenient. Asshown in the drawings, it consists of two castings. When made in severalparts, any suitable means may be used for securing these parts together.The lower part of the casing is provided with an 4inlet passage 2,leading from the water main, and has a bypass 3, leading laterally fromthis inlet toward the opposite side of the casing, for a purpose to belater described. Within this chamber are mountedall of the operativeparts, thus insuring alinement of the parts and, also, insuring nooutside levers etc., to be tampered with. The chamber is provided with ahand hole arranged to give Specification of Letters Patent.

ready access to all of the operating parts and adapted to be closed by asuit-able hand hole-cover 4, provided with a stop lug 5, for a purposeto be later disclosed. In the upper part of the chamber is the passage'6, for flow of water into the riser from the chamber 1, as usual.

)ne result of the construction thus far described is, that the hand holdcover must be securely fastened in. pl-ace before the air vThe inlet 2,is provided with the usualv valve seat, havingan annular channel openingu wardly into the chamber, when its' valve 1s unseated. Thus, if thevalve is not tightly seated, water will leak into thechannel and dripout through this passage, the drip acting as an indicator.

A main valve 7, of well known construction, closes the inlet. Thisvalve. is connected to its lever 8, .by a ball and socket or universalcoupling, as will hereafter appear. Lever 8, is pivoted by one end atone side of the inlet and extends across the same to a short distancebeyondthe `opposite side.

About mid-way of its length, a bolt 9, is

Patented Oct. 3, 1916. p Application led August 9, 1915. Serial No.44,582.

threaded-through it. This bolt is providedv with a nut end 10, foroperating it, and a ball end 11, for connection to the main valve 7.This ball end is adapted to be seated in a socket 12, formed in thevalve. plate 13, bolted into the valve engages vthe upper part of theball and keeps it in the cooperating socket, thus providing a univer--sal or ball and socket connection between the Valve and lever. Byturning the bolt 9, in one direction or the other, the valve may beadjusted, bodily, toward or from its lever, while the ball and socketjoint enables it. to adapt itself accurately to its seat, `at all times.

The inlet end of the by-pass 3 by a diiferentialvalve 14, pivotallymounted on the free end of a lever 15, which is ful- -cru11ed on thesame side ofthe'inlet as in thecase of the lever ofthe main valve. Thisdifferential valve is of usual and well known A cover constructiodwithits inner and outer operative surfaces in the proportion of about 7tol-so that ten pounds air pressure per square inch on the inner surfacewill counter balanceI seventy pounds water pressure per square inch inthe by-pass on the outer surface. IAround the inlet opening of thebypassand covered by the valve, is a channel which communicates through asuitable bore with the atmosphere.

It should be noted that the levers 8 and 15, are fulcrumed atcorresponding sides of the main and by-pass inlets. Between the adjacentends of the levers 8 and 15, is

fulcrumed a bell-crank trigger 16,' its ful-A crum being almost directlybelow the free end of the lever 8. The vertical branch of this triggeris forwardly curved at its upper end and provided with journals 17.Within these journals and supported on cylinder bearings 18, is ananti-friction roller 19. This roller is adapted to engage the uppersurface of the free end of lever 8, which at this point, is out on anincline 20, forming an arc of a circle struck from the center of thefulcrum of the trigger. The consequence of this arrangement is that themovement of roller 19, as the trigger is rocked, is concentric to thesurface 20. Thus, the upward force of lever 8, is purely a pressureforce, without any binding or friction. The mounting of roller 19,avoids any possible friction as the trigger is rocked or tripped, aswill later appear. Where the free end of lever 8, extends beneath theforwardly curved end of the trigger and between its journals, thecylinder bearings are shortened so that they lie only\ in the journals,but throughout the curvature of the intermediate portion the bearingsextend the full width of the vertical branch of the trigger, as will beclear on reference to Fig.

2. The horizontal' arm of the trigger ter` minates in a shoulder 21,which, when the parts are in operative` position, lies directly beneath,and is very slightly spaced from a rib 22, projecting from an extendedportion of lever 15. This rib is formed by grooving or cutting out theend of the lever, leaving a shoulder 23, parallel with the rib, butspacedl therefrom. The parts are so proportioned that the shoulder 23,just engages the under surface of the shoulder 21, when all parts are inoperative position. This engagement is merely a contact. pressurewhatever is exerted on the Ashoulder 23. Shoulder23 could be slightlyspaced from the under face of shoulder 21. It operates asa safety stopto engage shoulder 21 in case the trigger should accidentally start totrip.

The object of the slight Ispace' between shoulder 21,` and rib 22, is toenable the differential valve to get started on its upward swing andfree of its seat before' the rib 22, engages shoulder 21, to operate thetrigger. Only a very slight pressure is required on shoulder 21, ofcourse, but kthere is always a slight suction action on the difstructedpassage.

ferential valve and. the two combined, acting at the Sametime,might'retard the opening of the differential valve. suction is overcomeand the valve started before the rib engages the shoulder, this possibledifiiculty is completely avoided. In this connection, it should be noted'that the operation of the differential valve is assured by a dash-pot24, secured around the inlet of the by-pass and so arranged that noappreciable amount of water may escape beneath the edges of the valve tothe interior of the chamber. e

Y The lug 5, on the hand hole cover 4, is adapted to engage and limit-the upward swing of the differential valve, so that it can not bethrown over intothe path of the main valve-see Fig. 1.

The chamber, adjacent the main inlet opening, is somewhat enlarged tolallow the main valve and its lever to swing back beyond the vertical toprovide a free unob- A stop lug 25, is provided on the back of lever 8,adapted to engage the inner wall of the chamber to limit the swing ofthe main valve lever and prevent injury thereto-see Fig. 1.

In setting the apparatus, the parts will be in the positions shown inFig. 1, and the bolt 9, will then be operated to force the main valve 7,snugly onto its seat. The free end of the lever is cut on the arc of acircle struck from the fulcrum of the trigger as a'center. Such beingthe case, the valve 7, may be tightened to practically any desireddegree without causing the least movement of the trigger. After thevalve has been firmly seated, air is pumped into the system to thepredetermined pressure. AThen the water is turned on. When the sprinklerheads are opened by fire and the pressure in the system' drops, thedifferential valve operates the trigger, instantly' releasing the mainvalve which flies open as the water l rushes in.

The main valve may be forced as tightly as desired onto its seat withoutin the least `affecting the seating of the differential valve, and thereis no binding action or. friction at any point, nor is there anypossibility of one part accidentally operating some other part.

It is thought that the construction, operation, and use of theIinvention will be clear from the preceding detailed description. j

Changes may be made in the construction, arrangement, and disposition ofthe several parts of the invention without in any way departing from thefield and scope of the same, and it is meant to include all such inxthis application wherein only` a preferred form has been disclosed.

Having thus fully described my inven- But, if thetion what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a singlechamberstraight-way valve, a valve chamber provided with inlet and outletpassages and a by-pass establishing communication between said inletpassage and the interior of the valve chamber, a valve lever pivotallymounted within said chamber and at one side of said inlet passage andadapted to swing completely out of the path of the incoming current ofWater, a main valve carried thereby, a trigger mounted in said chamberand provided with a forwardly extending part adapted to project abovethe free end of the aforesaid lever, a roller mounted therein andadapted to engage the free end of the aforesaid lever, a second valvelever pivotally mounted within said chamber and at all times com-'pletely "out of "the path `of lthe incoming current of water, andprovided with means for actuating said trigger, and a 'diiferentialvalve carried by said second lever and adapted to close the aforesaidby-pass.

2. In a single; chamber straight-way valve, a valve chamber providedwith inlet and outlet passages and a by-pass establishing communicationbetween said inlet passage and the mterior of sald chamber, a

trigger pivotally mounted within said' chamber, a valve lever pivotallymounted within said chamber at one side of said inlet passage andadapted to swing completely out of the path of the incoming current ofwater and provided with an inclined bearing surface on the upper face ofits free end, 'the surface being in the form of an arc of, a circlestruck from the pivot center of the aforesaid trigger,I a roller carriedby said trigger and adapted to engage said surface, a main valve carriedby said lever and adapted to close said inlet, means carried by saidlever for forcing said valve tightly to its seat, a second valve leverpivotally mounted in said chamber and provided with means ad'apted toengage and trip said trigger, anda differential valve carried therebyand adapted to close the inlet of said by-pass.

3. In a singlechamber straight-way valve, a valve chamber provided withinlet and outlet passages and a by-pass establishing communicationbetween said inlet passage and the interior of said chamber, a

trigger pivotally mounted within said chamber, andprovided with ahorizontally extending shoulder, a valve lever fulcrumed at one side ofsaid inlet and adapted to swing completely out ofmthe path ofthenincoming current of water and provided with an inclined bearingsurface on the upper face of its free end, the surface being in the form0f an arc of a circle struck from-the fulcrum of the aforesaid trigger,a main valve carried by said lever, means for adjusting said valvebodily relatively to said lever, a roller carried by said trigger andadapted to engage said inclined surface, a second lever -fulcrumed insaid chamber and provided vwith a shoulder adapted to underlie theshoulder of the aforesaid trigger and having a rib overlying the sameand adapted to engage it and actuate the trigger'immediately afterunseating of the dierential valve, and a differential valve carried bysaid second lever.

Signed at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, this

